Hair loss is something that is very common among humans, specifically males over the age of 35. The most common form of hair loss is male pattern baldness.
There are several different forms of hair loss, but the cause of male pattern baldness is typically a combination of genetics and male hormones.
Other causes of hair loss that are less common include inflammation, chemotherapy treatment, HIV/AIDS, malnutrition and iron deficiency.
Obviously, there are several different causes of hair loss in men, but far and away the most common is genetics
Hair loss in men can very often lead to psychological distress, in particular disorders such as social or general anxiety disorder, depression, and in extreme cases even bipolar disorder. There are many different treatment methods that are available over the counter to treat baldness in men. Some forms may be treated by steroid injections, but oftentimes to be effective these need to happen frequently. By age 50, pattern hair loss affects about half of males.
A very common way for men to attempt to cover up their pattern baldness is through a “comb over.” This is done by taking the remaining hair and combing it over the bald spots to make the head appear like it is full of hair. This is almost always a temporary solution, as if there is more than just a small bald spot then the comb over will be extremely obvious to the public.
Another common way to cover up baldness for men is by wearing artificial hair, such as something like a wig or toupee. Both of these will resemble a typical hair style, and in an ideal world will not be noticeably different to a stranger. However, the best wigs can often be quite expensive and not easily affordable for men.
There are two extremely common hair growth supplements that are used in the world today
Those two treatments are known as Rogaine and Propecia. Both have been approved by the US food and drug administration, which is a huge positive for the drugs. The main negative on both of the drugs is that they only work on certain types of baldness.
While they have proven to be effective in certain cases in certain studies, they certainly are not effective 100 percent of the time, and it almost always depends on the particular patient and their particular type of baldness. Rogaine is typically most effective, however on men (or women) who have a history of baldness that runs genetically in their family.
It is strongly recommended by both Rogaine and the US food and drug administration to not try the supplement if baldness is not a genetic issue. It is also strongly recommended to not use any type of hair growth supplement if the patient in question is under the age of 18, as it can be harmful.
I have dealt with thinning hair since puberty, the age of 17 or so, which has been a constant source of shame. In high school my hair began growing thinner, and I grew it long and tried shampoos and scalp treatments to thicken it and cover the bald patches. My hairline was receding rapidly. I had patches where my hair was so thin you could see my scalp. As I grew older I went back to shorter hair, and tried various treatments from the drugstore and medications from the doctor to restore my hair, to no avail. So many doctors, so many treatments, so many medicines and creams… nothing helped. On my 40th birthday I decided to embrace my hair loss and shave my head, and try out being bald. It was very hard at first to adjust, but for five years I shaved my head and maintained a bald look. Now, I have allowed some hair to grow back. It is still thin, and starting to slowly go gray, but now I am much more comfortable with my hair loss. It is part of who I am, and I have accepted that I will never again have thick and full hair as I did in my youth.
I am self employed. General Practitioner in Melbourne, VIC. My special interest: male reproductive system.